September 23, was one of the last warm days of the year, so it left many locals wanting something to do. Valparaiso’s 13th annual Brewfest had the region's residents buzzing. Hundreds of Indiana locals could be seen enjoying brews, good food, and live music in Valparaiso's Center Park Plaza.
Over 200 different varieties of craft beers, sours, and ciders were a pour away for attendees to try. If you were the designated driver they catered to you too, with a designated driver booth with everyday drinks. Many of the vendors had non-alcoholic drink choices for all to enjoy. Along with drinks going around, a big part of this event was the food. There were local favorites like Tomato Bar Pizza and Tocayos, but they also had food trucks from Rudy’s BBQ, Sizzle, and snack booths.
If you needed a break, you could join hundreds of others on the Plaza Grass to enjoy the live band that played jazz, classic rock like Sublime and AC/DC and so much more. This event had something for those 21 years and older to enjoy.
Valparaiso Events Executive Event Manager Tom Clifford said he is proud to keep this event going for as long as it has for the community and they are glad that a portion of the proceeds are going to a good cause.
“We're very proud to continue a long-standing tradition and it's just a really nice endcap to the summer,” Clifford said. “We are super lucky that they (Indiana Beverage) choose to partner with us. They know the benefit that we bring to the community and the value is there.”
The event was sponsored by Indiana Beverage this year; they partnered with Valparaiso Events all for a good cause. The proceeds from the merchandise tents scattered across the plaza went to the Boys and Girls Club of Indiana.
Indiana Beverage Director of Sales Will Edmonds was excited about all that the Brewfest brings to their hometown of Valparaiso.
“I think it's wonderful to get a bunch of people together to enjoy great different styles of beer and different breweries and to just experience togetherness,” Edmonds said. “I think it also needs to be mentioned, that there's a lot of money being raised for the Boys and Girls Club in Northwest Indiana. I think this is an awesome way to help the kids out.”
This event did cater for those 21 years and up, but everyone was happy that a portion of the proceeds were going to the Boys and Girls Club.
Wendy Mang, Director of Community Outreach was beyond elated to have her Boys and Girls Club booth at this year’s Brewfest. They have partnered with Indiana Beverage for the past several events but this event was huge for them.
“Indiana Beverage and the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Northwest Indiana have had a really great partnership for many many years,” said Mang. “This allows us to keep our membership fees down, and it helps with administrative fees to allow this club to keep going which is awesome.”
This event was one that brought many of the locals together to enjoy the last bit of summer. With all the hard work that went into making this event happen, Valparaiso Events wanted to give a special thank you to all the vendors and sponsors that were able to make this event possible and they hope to see you at Brewfest 2024.
To learn more about Valpariaso’s upcoming events visit: https://www.valparaisoevents.com/
